Albert was a big hulk of a teenager who showed up to MAC Camp wearing an Insane Clown Posse t-shirt and black sweatshirt with the hood up. He was pierced and tough-looking with a stoic face that said, “Don’t mess with me.” He came to MAC Camp begrudgingly. He approached the registration table with his facility staff who said to us, “This is Albert, I dunno how he’ll do here, so just call me if you want me to come pick him up.”  Albert spent most of that first day plugged into his iPod, ignoring what was going on around him. On the second day of Camp, we learned that Albert is an author with several novels in the works. Some of our volunteers asked Albert about his work, and the next day he brought in samples for us all to read. By day 3, not only did Albert share his work, he actually got up and danced in the Latin dance class! And on the final day of camp, our Program Manager, Jessica, was standing in the cafeteria when Albert came and threw his body against the glass window, melted to the ground and crawled down the hallway – he had turned into the camp clown! 

     At the final showcase, Albert performed his Latin dance steps to a crowd of 100 friends and staff members. After the showcase, Albert's house manager approached Jessica with a shocked looked on her face. “That was the first time I’ve ever seen Albert smile,” she said in awe. “How long has he been there?” Jessica asked, thinking that the answer had to be just a few days. “Four months,” she replied. Albert had been transformed within just four short days. The combination of being introduced to the process of art and making connections with and being supported by so many positive adults gave Albert the strength to be his silly, fun-loving, creative self!